May
English Pronunciation * , , * * Etymology 1 , from Germanic. Cognate with Dutch , German , Icelandic . Verb # To have permission to. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests. #: You '''may' smoke outside.'' #: May''' I sit there?'' # Possibly, but not certainly. #: He '''may' be lying.'' # Expressing something that is possibly true. #: ''come what '''may # Expressing wish or blessing. #: ''May you win.'' ''May the weather be sunny.'' Usage notes * is a defective verb. It has no infinitive, no past participle, and no future tense. Forms of are used to replace these missing tenses. * The simple past (both indicative and subjunctive) of is * The present tense is negated as , which can be contracted to , although this is old-fashioned; the simple past is negated as , which can be contracted to . * has archaic second-person singular present indicative forms and . * Usage of this word in the sense of is considered incorrect by some speakers and writers, as it blurs the meaning of the word in the sense have permission to. These speakers and writers prefer to use the word instead. * Usage of this word in the sense of is often unstated, as in (may you) Have a great day!. Synonyms * can, could, might * could, might * might Derived terms * as the case may be * be it as it may, be that as it may, be this as it may * come what may * devil-may-care * if I may * I may not but * it may well with, may well with * let the chips fall where they may * may as well * maybe * may chance * may-fall * may-fortune * mayhap * mayhappen * may I? * may-issue * mayn't * may you live in interesting times * that is as may be, that's as may be * those who will not when they may, when they will they shall have nay * what-you-may-call-it Translations * American Sign Language: * Arabic: , (múmkin) lit.: possible * Chinese: 可以 (kěyǐ) * Czech: * Danish: * Dutch: * Finnish: , * French: * German: , , * Greek: μπορώ (boró), επιτρέπεται (epitrépete) * Hungarian: * Icelandic: mega, mátt * Indonesian: boleh / dapat / bisa * Italian: * Japanese: してもいい (shité mo íi) * Korean: 할 수 있다 (hal su itda) * Norwegian: , , * Persian: (tævānestæn) * Polish: * Portuguese: * Russian: , (predicative) * Spanish: * Swedish: , , * Tagalog: maaari, puwede * American Sign Language: * Chinese: 可能 (kěnéng) may be, possible * Czech: moci (moct) * Danish: * Dutch: misschien may be; He may be lying — Hij liegt misschien * Finnish: , * French: peut-être, il se peut que + subjunctive; He may be lying — Il ment peut-être, Il se peut qu’il mente. * Greek: , * Hungarian: * Icelandic: * Indonesian: mungkin / barangkali / bisa jadi / bisa saja * Italian: forse, può essere che + subjunctive; He may be lying — Forse sta mentendo, Può essere che stia mentendo * Japanese: 多分 (たぶん, tábun), かも知れない (かもしれない, kamo shirenai) * Norwegian: kan være, also expressed with adv. kanskje; He may be lying - Det kan være han lyver/Kanskje han lyver * Persian: * Polish: * Portuguese: * Russian: может быть (móžet bytʹ) may be, мочь (moč’) * Swedish: , * Tagalog: maaari, puwede * Dutch: ; come what may - komen wat komen moge * French: use subjunctive of pouvoir * Italian: use subjunctive of potere * Swedish: må, or rarely, ''-e * : lehet; You may smoke outside — ''Kivul dohányozhat.; May I sit there? — Oda ülhetnék?; He may be lying — '' Lehet, hogy hazudik.'' * : forsan (4, 5), darfas (1, 2) * : możliwe, że (2); He may be lying - Możliwe, że on kłamie. * : putea * : poder See also * Appendix:English tag questions Etymology 2 , so called because it blossoms in . Noun # The hawthorn bush or its blossoms. Derived terms * Italian may * mayhaw Translations * Bulgarian: * Finnish: * French: * German: Weißdornblüte * Greek: λευκάκανθα (lefkákantha) * Hungarian: , * Italian: * Ojibwe: miinensagaawanzh, miinensagaawanzhiig * Portuguese: pirilteiro , estrepeiro * Russian: * Spanish: espino , marzoleto Verb # To gather may. #* 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems, VII, lines 1-2 #*: In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying Anagrams * * Mya, MYA; yam Category:100 English basic words Category:English auxiliary verbs Category:English defective verbs Category:English irregular verbs Category:English words with multiple etymologies Category:Trees ---- Crimean Tatar Noun # butter, oil Declension Synonyms * yağ ---- Kurdish Noun # intervention Derived terms * mayê xwe tê dan * maytêder * maytêderî * maytêker * maytêkerî * mayê xwe tê kirin ---- Mapudungun Adverb # yes ---- Tagalog Verb # there is ---- Tatar Alternative spellings * май Noun # May (''Month of the Year) Declension See also * Previous: äpril. * Next: yün 5 ar:may az:may zh-min-nan:may da:may de:may et:may es:may fa:may fr:may fy:may ko:may io:may it:may kn:may kk:may sw:may ku:may lo:may lt:may li:may hu:may ml:may nl:may ja:may no:may km:may pl:may pt:may ro:may ru:may simple:may fi:may tl:may ta:may te:may th:may tr:may uk:may vi:may wa:may wo:may yi:may zh:may